Over the past 10 years, Poland's tomato production has showed a clear upward trend, growing from approximately 681 thousand tonnes on average between 2006 and 2008 to 803 thousand tonnes between 2013 and 2015 (+18%), as reported by Anna Kitala, expert agricultural market analyst at BGZ BNP Paribas.
"The growth of Poland's domestic tomato production during the period at hand has been supported by a rising export demand. According to Eurostat data, the volume of Polish tomato exports over the past decade has increased by 27 percent, from 80 thousand tonnes on average between 2006 and 2008 to 101 thousand tonnes between 2013 and 2015.
Interestingly, while the EU countries have remained an important destination, their share decreased steadily, from 90 percent in 2006 to 53 percent in 2010. From 2011 onwards, Polish tomatoes were shipped mostly to non-EU countries, mainly due to Russia's purchases, which grew from 3 thousand tonnes in 2006 to 51 thousand tonnes in 2013. This situation changed with the introduction of the Russian embargo, which came into effect from August 2014. In 2015, like years earlier, most of the Polish tomatoes were exported again to EU countries," explains Anna Kitala.
She stressed that the import of tomatoes into Polish territory has also showed an upward trend in the last decade, increasing from 86 thousand tonnes on average between 2006 and 2008 to 144 thousand tonnes between 2013 and 2015 (Eurostat).
"If we compare the volume of imports and exports, it turns out that Poland imports more tomatoes than it exports, and what's more, the gap between imports and exports is getting wider. Poland's largest tomato supplier is Spain, although its share in the Polish market has been declining."
On average, Spanish tomatoes had a share of approximately 57 percent between 2006 and 2008, but between 2013 and 2015 this figure dropped to 40 percent. "Meanwhile, imports from the Netherlands recorded a slight growth, from 19 percent to 24 percent, and German tomatoes also gained ground in the Polish market, going from 8 to 13 percent," she added.
Household consumption in the domestic market has remained relatively stable over the past decade. According to the Central Statistical Office, an average of approximately 10.12 kilos per person per year were consumed between 2006 and 2008, while in the period between 2012 and 2014 this figure stood at 9.88 kilos per person.
